The Avengers (Before and After Ultron)
by xXMistyImaginingsXx
Summary: A bunch of Avengers one-shots before and after Ultron, or how the Avengers became a family, then how then came apart.
1. The Cure (Before)

Bruce let the silvery-bronze liquid swirl inside the vile. It was marvelous. What Bruce had been so adamant about working on lately was no different than usual. A cure. For while Banner would just give up, tell himself that there was no use looking anymore. Then, every once in a while, he would decide he could look again. Just one more time. And then time again.

He wanted so desperately to be free of the Hu- Other guy. Bruce shuddered at the very feeling of the beast just subtly lurking in him. Always on the verge of getting free. The irony was, Bruce and Hulk wanted the very same thing.

Bruce had taken a few drops of the stuff and put it on a slide under the highly powered microscope that Tony had gotten for him. Speaking of Tony, his voice had just come over the tower P.A with a call to assemble. One that simply, unfortunately, could not be ignored.

Bruce had kindly asked Jarvis to run some basic test's whilst he was out. The A.I quickly obliged and Bruce was on his way.

"Hey Clint, can ya see, uh, whosit we're fighting again?" Asked Tony, all suited up, currently knocking in a few A.I.M agent heads. Tony could hear Steve sigh over the com line.

"He's called Pyro, one of A.I.M's new adversary's and I would appreciate it if you could please use our respective code names while in the field," Steve managed to answer evenly.

"Um, why? It's not like the world doesn't know who I am anyways. And hey, you guys are already kinda close to half as popular as me, so who cares?"

"He's got a point there, Cap. I mean, not many people are on first name basis with us anyways," Clint added while firing another arrow at a stray A.I.M agent.

"Well I care! That's just how things are suppose to go! Plus, we're not really going to intimidate any villain just using out regular names," Steve protested while jabbing a third A.I.M agent in the throat with his shield.

"Eh, hate to break it to ya. But no one's gonna go running from a guy in star spangled spandex and a name just as stylish to match," Tony says and Steve swears he can hear the smirk in his voice over the com and he's not exactly pleased by it.

"Oh!" Roars Clint, laughing jovially, "Shot's fired! Hey, way to go, Stark. That brings it to 2 and 0. That's way higher that you usual average."

"Yeah, yeah, shut it, Hawkass."

"Um yeah, you don't get any point's for that, Tin-man," the witty archer retorted. Tony was about to quip back when- "Got a visual on Pyro."

"Location?" Asked Steve, quickly surveying the inside of the large warehouse about them.

"Just north of you, Cap. Up in the rafters." Steve had to crane his neck to see all the way up and even then he didn't see the man.

"Steve, look out! Watch you six!-" Tony was cut off by an enraged roar. Steve whirled around to find the Hulk had blocked him from an enormous blast of fire. Steve knew because he could still feel the heat radiating around him. The Hulk snarled and set his sight's right on Steve's aggressor and needless to say Hulk was not amused by this.

Fire man was a bad guy. Captain was Hulk's team. Was his friend. Bad Fire man didn't get to hurt Hulk's friends.

Hulk launched himself up towards Pyro. Pyro tried to leap away, but fell when the beam cracked under the Hulk's weight and mass. Pyro fell to the ground just as the fight was winding down. Pyro groaned and rolled on his back.

"Well, just look at you, Buddy. Not so hot now, are ya?"

"Stark, that was just bad," commented Clint as he slid down from the rafter he had stationed himself on. "That's Hawkeye 3, Stark 2."

"Wait, wait, wait, the ratio is not 3 to 2," Tony protested. Clint shrugged.

"Yes it is, it's your fault for burning yourself so bad with that last one. That's Hawkeye 4 Stark, a still incredibly measly 2." Tony raised his face-plate just so he could glare at the archer.

"That's still wrong!" Tony said, lightly stamping his iron clad foot. Steve shook his head exasperated. How come he always got stuck babysitting now and days? Steve decided he better go break it up.

While the kids were arguing, Pyro managed to grab hold of his flame thrower once more and all the Avengers around him were busy arguing. In the end it was Hulk who caught it. Fire man was trying to attack his friends again. This made Hulk very angry.

Just as Pyro was about to pull the trigger and set all the three Avengers a blaze, Hulk pounded down on the puny man. The other occupant's in the warehouse quickly turned 'round when they heard the commotion. All of their eyes widened in shock.

"Hulk! NO!" Tony shouted, putting his face-mask back down and flying in front of the green giant. Hulk's large features were completely contorted and tainted with a kind of vile and intense rage.

"Hulk-" Tony started right before Hulk swung on him. Rage so clearly etched into his features. Tony was lucky enough to only have been grazed by the blow, but it was enough to put both Clint and Steve on alert. Tony quickly recomposed himself just to see Hulk smash Pyro again.

"HULK!" Tony shouted so loud that it actually got his attention. Tony held his hands out. "Relax, buddy, Pyro was already out cold, no need to-" Tony stopped when he saw blood trickle down from Pyro's head. Jarvis had informed Tony that the blows Hulk delivered were critical. Well, of course they were, they were the Hulk's!

"He's dead, Cap," said Tony lowly. Steve's features changed to a mix of shock and disappointment. Clint seemed pretty exasperated as well.

Tony turned up to the green behemoth. "No! Bad Hulk," he scolded. "He was down! We don't kill people when they're down! Understand? No Killing!" It was then where Hulk's expression changed to confused. Fire man was a bad guy? The bad guy was going to hurt Tin-man!

Hulk felt Banner's quick wave of distress before Banner's consciousness faded out again. Hulk had made Banner upset and Hulk made his friends upset.

* * *

The debriefing for the mission was complete hell. Fury had been, well, furious with Banner's actions and the teams. He didn't expect the team to control Bruce, but at least reign him in a little and as for Banner Fury was pissed for his lack of control during the situation. Fury explained how they needed Pyro alive to find out why A.I.M was recruiting so furiously lately and now they lost a good lead.

Bruce didn't even try to explain to the director how what happened with Hulk was a sheer, forceful impulse. It was so strong and sudden that Bruce knew he had no time to stop it. He knew it wouldn't be any good. The director would only see it as an excuse and get even angrier. Bruce definitely didn't want that.

Once they were all dismissed Bruce got up and quickly walked away, not even letting his teammates say a word to him. Bruce didn't want to talk about it or anything else right now. The Hulk- No, he had just ended another life today. Albeit, not really innocent, but who was he to judge? Bruce knew what he had to do and he wasn't going to wait.

"Poor, poor, Brucey," feigned Tony once he was back at the tower, having a drink with Clint and Steve. "I bet he's in the lab beating himself up over the whole thing right now." Tony downed his whole glass and then shoved it aside.

"It must be incredibly frustrating," mused Steve, a still mostly full glass of brandy in hand, "he's forever taking one step forward and then two steps back. Today was, unfortunately, a bit of a slip up." Clint nodded in agreement.

"I really hoped I wouldn't be the one to bring this up, but the Hulk's been known to take it too far on occasion. I don't really blame Banner for it too much, but-"

"But what?" Snapped Tony, "What about Bruce? It's not like none of us have ever slipped up on a mission before. We're sure as hell not perfect!" Neither of the other occupant's in the room were surprised at Tony's sudden protective out-burst.

"That's not what I meant, Stark," Clint nearly growled, guzzling his beer down.

"Then what do you mean?" Tony nearly hissed at the archer.

"Alright, enough, both of you," Steve snapped, getting tired of the two's incessant arguing. It was true that the two were either good pals or sniping enemies. There was a silent pause for a while.

"What I meant was," Clint resumed finally, "that something must be up that Banner's not tellin' us about. Something's that's making the Hulk all cranky when he comes out."

* * *

Banner stormed into the lab while the others had decided on grabbing a drink. Bruce ignored Tony's whiny request's on joining them. Bruce didn't want to drink. In fact he never wanted a drink. It reminded him of all the times his father would come home, bottle in hand, yelling, screaming. Berating and abusing both Bruce and his mother. The anger clearly etched into his father's face as he did so reminded Bruce so very much of the Hulk.

Bruce scowled. In the end it always came back to the Hulk. To his mistake. The accident had initially taken more lives than anyone realized. The Hulk had taken so many lives. Had destroyed families and homes and frankly just too many familiar faces and places.

Pyro wasn't the reason for this, he was just simply the breaking point. No more names could possibly fit the drastically long list. It was just time for it to all finally end.

Bruce hastily poured the contents of the vile into a syringe.

"Sir," Jarvis interjected over the P.A, "The serum is not ready for cellular injection. Only a small number of test's have been done and so far the numbers are...lower that what you had initially hoped for."

"I don't care, Jarvis!" Bruce snapped harshly, inclining his head slightly towards the ceiling. "I just can't do this anymore." The amount of defeat in Bruce's voice was definite. He honestly thought the only option was either to surrender to the Hulk, or get rid of him. And Bruce could honestly say he would rather die than give it to the monster.

"Sir, the serum is very early phase. This 'cure' may not be what you imagine. The result's could be potentially fatal."

"I'm not waiting anymore, Jarvis. I-I just can't keep doing this."

"Sir, might I point out that there are always other options," Jarvis tried once more. If Bruce would have been paying any attention to what Jarvis was actually saying he may have actually thought that the A.I was trying to warn him, or stop him.

Bruce quickly tied a band around his upper arm. He didn't care about the risk. He obviously didn't care about the risk's during the creation of the Hulk. What else could be worse than that?! What else could POSSIBLY GO WRONG?!

Bruce plunged the needle into his forearm, injected the whole three ounce lot of serum into his veins. Instantly he felt dizzy and nauseous. He dropped the syringe on the ground and had to lean against the wall. Objects and colors swirled in his vision. Just a side-effect maybe, but that was when things took a turn for the worst.

Bruce suddenly felt a hot jolt of pain shoot all over his body. Bruce instantly collapsed on the ground, convulsing violently. Bruce coughed and gasped and blood poured out of his mouth. The pain continued to radiate through-out his entire form, causing him to cry out in agony, but once again there was only blood. Black spots danced in Bruce's vision and he could swear he was hallucinating when he heard the door open suddenly.

Tony casually whistled and waltzed down into the lab. "Brucey! I need you to come up with the rest of us. Those two can simply not keep a intellectual conversation going for more than a- Bruce!" Tony instantly knelt down over Bruce who was still seizing violently. "Bruce! Banner?! Jarvis, what happened to Bruce!?"

"He injected himself with a potential cure. The serum was early phase and the results were possibly fatal, with a high probability of being just that," Jarvis answered and he even sounded grave. No, Tony thought rapidly. Bruce couldn't die. No, that couldn't happen, the Hulk would have saved Bruce before his heart stopped, right? Right?!

"It's going to be okay, Bruce. I'm gonna make it stop, Jarvis! Get Steve and Clint down here!" Tony shouted as he got up and quickly. He had to find a way to reverse whatever poison Bruce pumped into his blood stream. Oh stupid Bruce!

Tony quickly deduced that he wouldn't be able reverse the chemical effects in time, but there had to be a solution. If he good find a way to try and boost the Hulk, to help him fight the poison until he could find a way to get the rest out of Bruce.

"Oh my god," Clint breathed as he walked into the lab. Clint actually froze at the sight of Bruce convulsing on the floor with blood trailing from his lips.

"What happened to him?" Steve asked, trying to take control of the panic situation. Steve quickly knelt down next to Bruce, turning him on his side and holding him steady.

Tony scowled as he grabbed several things out of a cabinet. "He tried an injection to get rid of the Hulk and he wasn't done testing it!" Tony raged as he started putting the chemicals together. Clint's eyes went wide.

"He tried to what?!" Clint shouted, shocked. He knew that Bruce had strife with the Hulk. Maybe more than they realized if Bruce went and tried to kill part of himself.

Bruce moaned and started shaking more. Steve squeezed Bruce's shoulder's. Steve could feel the heat radiating from Bruce's skin underneath the material of his shirt. "He's burning up, Tony!" Steve informed nervously.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Cap!" Tony shouted as he tried to find a syringe. Tony rushed around like crazy, listening to Steve and Clint's cries that Bruce was getting worse.

"Tony, there's lots of blood," Clint said, being careful not touch the radioactive blood. Knowing that it would hurt both her and Steve if they touched it. Bruce moaned and cried, he was growing pale. Bruce very suddenly, loudly cried out.

"Bruce! It's okay, just- just hold on!...Bruce!"

* * *

Bruce moaned. He didn't know where he was. Everything felt numb. Bruce slowly pried open his eyes and looked about. Everything around him was white. That was it, Bruce remembered it now: the injection. The serum wasn't ready, it must've have killed him. He was dead, Bruce didn't think he deserved to be in heaven though. Then Bruce heard a constant, beeping. Bruce tried to turn to see what it was and that's when the pain hit.

"Bruce," said a mellow female voice, "lay still. Try and relax." Bruce's vision was blurred and he couldn't really see who it was, but he recognized the tone.

"Natasha?" His voice was hoarse and his throat was dry. He tried to move to see her, but she swiftly moved forward to push him back down.

"Yeah, it's me. Bruce, you're in the hospital," Natasha says calmly and evenly. Bruce's eyes narrow slightly. The hospital? Seeing his confusion, Natasha elaborated. "The injection you used was nearly fatal. You're lucky that Tony found a way to save you last minute." Bruce looked up at Natasha without moving his head.

"Tony? W-where?-"

"Shh," Natasha coes gently to cut him off with his struggle, "He was able to develop a drug to save you. You need another dose and he went to go get some more. I volunteered to watch you." Natasha took a glass of water from the end table and gingerly placed it to his lips for him to take a drink.

"How long?-"

"You were out for two days, Bruce. Everyone was worried. We didn't know if you were going to pull through. Even Thor came back from Asgard...Bruce, I know that you tried to kill yourself." Bruce now felt shamed under the spy's gaze.

"I'm sorry," he answered shortly, quietly. He hadn't tried to kill himself per say. He didn't even know what he was thinking at the time. Maybe that's why everyone was so worried, why it was so dangerous. He just felt nothing. Empty.

Natasha set the glass back down after a while and just looked at Bruce. "If you were feeling low again you should have told us. We could have helped you, Bruce. We would have." Bruce was almost surprised on how sincere and nervous Natasha seemed. He got the sense that she genuinely cared.

When Tony got back things became tense again, like the air was constricting. Bruce had no doubt that Tony had taken a closer look at the serum Bruce was developing and no doubt he also found out about it's very flawed, very early stages. Bruce prepared himself for the worst.

Tony walked into the room and said nothing, he walked over to the end table and set down a few things, one being the injection he had brought from the tower. He silently gestured to Bruce's forearm, Bruce dully extended it. He felt like a child getting caught doing something they weren't suppose to. Tony dabbed Bruce's skin with the antiseptic cloth and then stuck the needle into the vein. The physicist barely flinched, being used to it enough from years of testing on himself. Besides, he had other things on his mind. Bruce looked down and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly. Tony said nothing in response. Bruce wondered if he hadn't heard him. "I'm sorry, Tony-"

"Why?" Bruce fumbled for an answer to the question.

"What?"

"Why did you do it, Bruce? Just- Damn it," Tony cursed under his breath, "why in hell would you try to kill yourself?" Bruce didn't answer at first, he shrunk in on himself more, trying to avoid Tony's questioning gaze.

"I-I don't know."

"Bull. You know why," Tony shot back instantly. Bruce looked away from Tony, in the opposite direction.

"It..It's hard," Bruce confessed, "it's so hard." When Tony said nothing, Bruce continued. "It's hard knowing that everyone around you could die and that you'd be the cause. That I'd be murdering some of the only people who could..who could actually accept me.. I'm just a mons-"

"Don't even finish that untrue, pessimistic sentence," Tony snapped and Bruce became tense and silenced himself again. Tony sighed. "Look, Bruce. The Hulk is a hero. He saved New York. From what I heard you whipped that Puny God into the floor like a rag doll, bashed Chitauri head all the way from 39th to Park and even more than that, the big guy saved my from one hell of a fall. And I'm still convinced that wasn't Hulk, that was you, Banner." It took Bruce more than a minute to process everything that had just been said. Tony thought that Hulk- that he was a hero?

"...I'm sorry, Tony."

"It's fine. This time," Tony said in a very casual tone, "but next time it'll be serious. Science Bros are not easily replaceable!" Bruce couldn't help but grin.

"Why do I have a feeling you're about to enlighten me with some huge new idea you have?"

"Because that's exactly what's about to happen." Bruce chuckled lightly.

"What is it?"

"It's called the Ultron Program."


	2. Running With It (After)

_"I had this dream, the kind that seems normal at the time... I was an Avenger. That I was anything more than the assassin they made me."_

Natasha sat out on the tall building of god knows were now. No matter where she went he was always a step ahead somehow. She didn't hate him for it, she just hated his insecurity... and his I.Q. She had taken time off and left the New Avengers base to look for Banner.

 _"I think you're too being hard on yourself," he told her sincerely. Natasha wasn't always good with sincerity, but now things were different._

 _"And here I was hoping that was your job," she joked with a light, airy laugh as she moved closer to him, starring up into his soft, dark brown orbs._

Natasha sighed as she watched the sun get lower and lower, parts of it gone beneath other rooftops. It had been too long, far too long since she's seen him. Heard from him. She knew he wasn't dead, a ship wreck surely wouldn't kill him. Months later, maybe even longer, her search did continue.

 _"What are you doing?" He asked almost sadly, legitimately confused. Maybe even guilty._

 _"I'm running with it; with you," she whispered softly "running's the plan.. as far as you want."_

Natasha wondered vaguely if he even considered staying. Well, probably not and she didn't fully blame his reasoning for leaving. She just didn't understand why he couldn't leave with her.

 _"Are you out of your mind?" He questioned, looking at the spy as if she had just suggested something so vile or ridiculous. Like she was crazy. Crazy for falling for him. He walked away from her, exasperated, hands over his face._

Natasha pulled her jacket a little tighter as the gentle breeze started to grow to a larger gust. She didn't even know the point of sitting out here anymore.

 _"I need you to understand that, um-"_

 _"Natasha," he broke her off, turning around to face her once again, "where can I go? Where in the world am I not a threat?"_

 _"You're not a threat to me," Natasha persists._

Natasha watches as the smaller stars take the place of the sun. Their beautiful out here. Brighter. Much more so than in New York. Natasha stands up, her legs numb from being folded for so long. The streets of Togo, Africa now mostly quiet and mute.

 _"Are you sure?" He shoots back in barely a moment's time since Natasha had stopped speaking. "Even if I didn't just-.. There's no future with me. I can't ever," He said looking around the guest/child's room of the Barton farm house, "I can't have this. Kids. Do the math I psychically can't."_

Natasha shook her head, trying to will away the memories. Why couldn't he just see that none of that mattered to her then? Or now? Just him.

 _"Neither can I," she answered sadly._

And it was the honest truth. Natasha looked down. She knew better than to let tears fall. It was something she learned years ago and-.. Damn it all. She was alone. Nobody was around. So what if she got emotional for once in her life? And so a silvery tear shattered upon the concrete roof. "Bruce," she says lightly into the wind, "what are you doing?"

And from the other edge of that same rooftop, being behind the iron casing surrounding the stairwell down to the rest of the apartment's in the building stood a man, listening to it all. "...I'm running with it," he whispers out loud and soon the sound fades into nothing.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this short, sad, Brutasha story. If you want me to expand upon it leave a comment or message me.


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